Sandwich tern: Updates

A sandwich tern has been reported at Montrose this morning and Doug Stotz gave Rick Remington, who originally found it last week at Northwestern, a historical perspective on

the rare Illinois bird.

hey

Stotz, conservation ecologist/ornithologist for the Field Museum, sent Rick this note in response to an inquiry and photo (above) sent:

This is indeed a Sandwich Tern, and is extremely rare in Illinois. There is only one previous record. Laurie Binford found a bird at Waukegan Beach on 26 April 1989. He was the only observer, and unlike you he did not get any photos. His written documentation was excellent and the record was accepted by the records committee. Until your photo, this was the only species accepted on the Illinois srare list without either a specimen or a photo. So this is the second state record and the first with photographic documentation. Great find and great photo.